Rapid Fire
Revamp of FRA Cells into Project Monitoring Units
- 02 Mar 2026
- 2 min read
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has decided to expand the mandate of the existing Forest Rights Act (FRA) Cells, revamping them into unified 'one-stop' Project Monitoring Units (PMUs) to streamline the coordination and implementation of all tribal policies.
- FRA Cells: The Forest Rights Act (FRA) Cells were sanctioned under the Ministry’s Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyaan (DAJGUA) launched in October 2024 to provide States with additional human resources. Their primary objective was to expedite the processing of forest rights claims and digitize records under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
- These cells assist in recognition of forest rights, support claim documentation and evidence collection, digitise land records, help beneficiaries access government schemes, and promote conversion of forest villages into revenue villages.
- The New PMU Structure: The Ministry is restructuring these cells into comprehensive Project Monitoring Units (PMUs).
- Each State/UT PMU will now comprise four officials specializing in FRA support, livelihood support, IT/Management Information Systems (MIS) expertise, and overall team leadership.
- At the district level, there will be two experts (one for FRA support and one MIS expert).
- Rationale Behind the Revamp: According to the Ministry, maintaining different cells exclusively for FRA implementation was leading to "increasing administrative costs" and creating communication silos.
- A unified PMU is expected to make policy implementation simpler, faster, and better coordinated.
| Read more: FRA Cells Setup to Facilitate Forest Right Act |
